The Future of the Sustainable Sea Food Industry

Going Green sat down with Pat Schnettler, co-founder of 12 Tides, to discuss the future of sustainable sea food. Making his start in the traditional seafood industry, he was disheartened by its unsustainable practices and negative impacts, from overfishing and pollution to coastline destruction. Today, Pat is on a mission to show the world how our everyday food and lifestyle choices have the power to positively impact our oceans and the future of our planet.

12Tides farmers sustainably grow and harvest organic kelp in Frenchman Bay, Maine. The harvest ships to 12Tides kitchen where they bake it into umami-packed, puffed chips. From there, 12Tides makes their chips available both online in retail stores.

Overfishing is a massive problem we face on a worldwide level, which is why we are excited to talk to Pat, and learn more about his vision for a more sustainable Sea Food industry.

Pat, thank you for being here today. First, tell us a little bit about you and your background: 

I was born into a conservation-oriented family and began my career consulting in the food & agriculture space and, specifically, seafood. As I learned more about the impact traditional seafood industries have had on the oceans, I knew I wanted spend my career finding ways to better the relationship between people and the ocean.

What is a fun fact about you?

I am a rescue certified scuba diver and have logged more than 160 dives on 6 continents.

Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today? 

I’m an optimist and, while climate change has already impacted a lot of our planet, there is still a lot to save. Everyone has their own relationship with nature and their own places they want to protect. Everyone has has the ability to make small changes to protect what is meaningful to them. Multiply that by 7 billion, and that’s a lot of impact.

What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?

Our food system can and will transform into a force for good for the planet. Both necessity from the producer side and demand from the consumer side will push regenerative forms of food production into the mainstream. And, of course, kelp will be a much bigger part of our food system.

What can the average person do to make a difference?

Dozens of decisions you make every day impact the oceans, especially in terms of what you buy. Making the ocean-friendly purchasing decisions is the best way to encourage all companies, big corporations and small startups, to do adjust to more ocean-friendly ways.

Pat, thank you for taking the time to discuss your vision for a sustainable sea food industry.

Going Green, hosted by Dylan Welch, interviews leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts. If you are interested in being featured on Going Green, click HERE.